NASA Administrator to Visit JPL, Meet With Mars Science Lab Team

WHAT: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will visit the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Reporters are invited to join Bolden as he meets with the team for the Mars Science Laboratory, NASA's largest, most ambitious Mars mission ever, currently en route to the Red Planet. Accompanied by JPL Director Charles Elachi, Bolden will address the mission's flight team inside the Space Flight Operations Facility (commonly known as Mission Control), and the surface operations team in the Mars In-Situ Lab (where Mars rovers are tested).

WHO: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has held the post since July 2009. He is a former astronaut and a retired Marine Corps Major General. A full bio and photo are online at: http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/bolden_bio.html . Charles Elachi has served as JPL director since 2001 and is also a vice president of Caltech, which manages JPL for NASA. His bio and photo are online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about/bio_elachi.cfm .

WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Interview opportunities with Bolden regarding the proposed 2013 budget are available between 1:30 and 2:15 p.m. during a stop at "Mission Control." Media must arrive by 1 p.m.

Reporters who would like to cover the event at JPL must arrange access in advance by contacting JPL Media Relations by Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. PST, at 818-354-5011. In addition, valid media credentials are required, and non- U.S. citizens must also bring a passport.